'We have not slowed down': As investigators chase down tips, Iowa officials release few details on the search for Mollie Tibbetts

Rob Tibbetts, father of missing Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts, thanks law enforcement officials and members of the media for their efforts.
Luke Nozicka, lnozicka@dmreg.com

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Kevin Winker, director of investigative operations at the Iowa Department of Public Safety, speaks during a news conference about the search for Mollie Tibbetts on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018, outside the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma.(Photo: Luke Nozicka/The Register)Buy Photo

MONTEZUMA, Ia. — State officials on Friday again declined to comment on facts regarding their investigation into the disappearance of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts more than two weeks ago, which has sparked interest across the country.

As reporters questioned him at a news conference, Kevin Winker, director of investigative operations at the Iowa Department of Public Safety, said he would not confirm leads or attempt to draw conclusions about what facts have shown.

"Do you, at this stage, have any suspects?"

"Can you clarify if Mollie Tibbetts made it back inside the home the day she went missing?"

"Would you say you're closer to solving this now than you were two weeks ago?"

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Kevin Winker, director of investigative operations at the Iowa Department of Public Safety, speaks during a news conference about the search for Mollie Tibbetts on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018, outside the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma.
Luke Nozicka/The Register

Kevin Winker, director of investigative operations at the Iowa Department of Public Safety, speaks during a news conference about the search for Mollie Tibbetts on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018, outside the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma.
Luke Nozicka/The Register

Kevin Winker, director of investigative operations at the Iowa Department of Public Safety, speaks during a news conference about the search for Mollie Tibbetts on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018, outside the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma.
Luke Nozicka/The Register

Kevin Winker, director of investigative operations at the Iowa Department of Public Safety, speaks during a news conference about the search for Mollie Tibbetts on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018, outside the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma.
Luke Nozicka/The Register

Mollie Tibbetts' mother, Laura Calderwood, listens as reporters as questions about the search for her daughter on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018, outside the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma. FBI Special Agent in Charge Randy Thysse stood next to her.
Luke Nozicka/The Register

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Winker called it a "delicate balance" when determining what information to release to the public. Though he would not comment on specific details, something he acknowledged might be frustrating to people following the case but necessary for the investigation, Winker said detectives were pursuing all leads and conducting multiple searches.

And as officials continued to carry out interviews and track the 20-year-old woman's digital footprint, Winker told reporters: "We have not slowed down at all."

"We come to work every day with an attitude that we're going to find Mollie today," he said at the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office in Montezuma.

Law enforcement officials brief members of the media on the continued search efforts for missing college student Mollie Tibbetts of Brooklyn, Iowa.
Des Moines Register

Tibbetts' father, Rob Tibbetts, told reporters, whose faces he has come to recognize, that days seem like weeks, saying: "Time is compressed." As he spoke to the cameras, he said the group outside the sheriff's office had become a family, thanking law enforcement officials and journalists who were working around the clock.

After the news conference, Winker said discrepancies in public anouncements about what Tibbetts was believed to have been wearing before she vanished could be attributed to conflicting witness statements. In one of its first news releases, county officials reported that she wore a black sports bra, but more recently, investigators said it was a pink sports top. Another social media posting referenced a red shirt.

Car magnets printed by Live Now Designers in Brooklyn, Iowa, pictured on July 22, 2018. Community members continue to search for Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old Iowan who was last seen on July 18, 2018.
Matthew Leimkuehler/The Register

A poster found on the store front of Live Now Designs on downtown Brooklyn, Iowa, as pictured on July 22, 2018. Community members continue to search for Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old Iowan who was last seen on July 18, 2018.
Matthew Leimkuehler/The Register

Jake Tibbetts, brother to Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who went missing about a week ago, gives an interview on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in Brooklyn.
Kelsey Kremer/The Register

A poster with information about Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who went missing last week, hangs in the window on a business in downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in eastern Iowa.
Kelsey Kremer/The Register

A poster with information about Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who went missing last week, hangs in the window on a business in downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in eastern Iowa.
Kelsey Kremer/The Register

A poster with information about Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who went missing last week, hangs in the window on a business in downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in eastern Iowa.
Kelsey Kremer/The Register

A poster with information about Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who went missing last week, hangs in the window on a business in downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in eastern Iowa.
Kelsey Kremer/The Register

A poster with information about Mollie Tibbetts, a missing 20-year-old University of Iowa student, hangs in the window on a business in downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in eastern Iowa.
Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Poweshiek County Sheriff Thomas Kriegel asked anyone with a tip about Tibbetts in another county or state to call their local authorities. He has said that as 40 investigators have worked on the case each day, tracking down hundreds of leads that included ground, air, water and K-9 unit searches.

Tibbetts, 20, disappeared after running on the night of July 18 while dog-sitting at the home of her boyfriend and his brother on the western edge of Brooklyn, a city of about 1,500 residents in central Iowa. Her disappearance has gained national attention.

Investigators, with the help of FBI forensic experts, were tracking Tibbetts' digital footprint. That effort included sifting through data from her cellphone, social media accounts and a Fitbit, a physical activity tracker.

Information was also scarce at the first news conference Tuesday. Asked whether it was likely Tibbetts had been abducted then, Winker said authorities "don't know where Mollie's at right now."

Winker on Friday again welcomed all and any tips. He has called each detail about the case important, from understanding Tibbetts and her daily behaviors to knowing who was in Brooklyn when she vanished.

Tibbetts' mother, Laura Calderwood, said Thursday she believed her daughter was alive. More than $200,000 has been raised as a reward to solicit information that assists in her safe return.

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Earlier in the day in an interview with the Des Moines Register, Rob Tibbetts made a similar plea: "If someone out there is holding Mollie, and they’re in over their head and they’ve made a horrible mistake, you can end it now before it goes any further."

Tibbetts, who was born in San Francisco and moved to Brooklyn with her mother when she was in the second grade, is known by family and friends for her infectious smile and positive attitude. She studied psychology at the University of Iowa after graduating from the local high school in 2017, where she ran track and competed on the debate team.

Official: 26 listed as missing involuntarily

Medina Rahmanovic, manager of Iowa's missing person information clearinghouse, said Friday that 390 people were listed as missing in the state, 26 of whom were categorized as missing involuntarily dating back to 1976.

Of the total, 225 were juveniles, a majority of whom were runaways, she said.

Despite concerns spurred by Tibbetts' disappearance, state investigators have said the number of missing juveniles reported in Iowa in recent weeks was in line with historical trends. The vast majority are found or returned home within 24 hours.